{
  "id": 3309015,
  "title": "A New Crop of Players Try to “Democratize” Venture Capital",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/a-new-crop-of-players-try-to-democratize-venture-capital",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-25T16:56:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/crop-players-try-democratize-venture-192149190.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This year, a new generation of companies is aiming to bring venture capital to the masses. Venture capital funds have traditionally been reserved for accredited investors with substantial financial resources, but a growing number of players are now offering access to retail investors.\n\nOne of the first firms to launch a venture fund targeting individual investors was Destiny XYZ Inc. in spring 2024. Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) focuses on late-stage venture-backed companies and is structured as an exchange-listed closed-end fund (CEF). With a market cap of about $1 billion, DXYZ charges a 2.5% annual management fee and requires no accreditation or minimum investment.\n\nAnother example is Ark Venture Fund (ARKVX) by Cathie Wood, an interval fund with a $500 minimum investment. The fund's annualized NAV growth over three years is 36.14%, and over one year is 84.75%. However, its annual management fee is 2.75%, and its market cap is $1.24 billion.\n\nFundrise Growth Tech Fund (VCX) is a notable player in this space. Launched in 2022, VCX invests in AI, space exploration, data infrastructure, and financial technology. With a market cap of $1.22 billion, the fund offers exposure to companies like Anthropic, Databricks, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Epic Games. It is also structured as a CEF with no accreditation or minimum investment requirements and charges an annual management fee of 1.85%.\n\nIn March, Robinhood launched Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI), a CEF investing in various industries, including aerospace, defense, AI, and financial technology. With a $563.6 million market cap, RVI charges a 2.00% annual management fee and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. However, the fund's share price has dropped from $77.39 to the mid-$20 range.\n\nRobinhood also launched Robinhood Ventures Fund II (RVII) as a traded BDC with a $20 million initial commitment to 80 companies, 65% of which are in the technology sector. The BDC, with no accreditation requirements, charges a 2% annual management fee and a 20% carried interest fee. As of August, RVII was trading at $22.91 per share with a $208 million market cap.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}